HeartBLOOD

Chapter sixty-two

Alec!, Cat exclaimed ecstatically as he walked into BDA.

Hi! Wow, you must have really missed me., he laughed, wrapping his arms around Cat.

I have! And I dont think you understand how excited I am to do this with you! Itll be so much fun!, Cat cheered when he let her go.

Im kind of excited, too., he grinned, And Im nervous to see the routine.

Alec, relax., she giggled, Ive seen them run the choreo last lesson, and let me tell you, they were great. You did amazing.

I hope so., he exhaled, Dont get me wrong, I have complete trust in the kids, I just hope the routine works as it should.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Hi!, Maddie, Liv and two other girls exclaimed, walking into the main training room in front of Maddies mother.

Ive volunteered to carpool the girls, Livs mom is on picking-up-duty., she laughed, making sure the girls had all their necessities on them.

Okay, good to know!, Cat grinned, unlocking the door to the changing rooms- after all, there was some training that needed to be done before the fun part of the night could start.

Well, good luck to you guys, have fun!, the mom smiled, And call me if they misbehave!

Im sure theyll be angels., Cat laughed, waving Maddies mother goodbye before she turned around to leave.

Youre not going to change into dance attire either, are you?, Alec asked, looking at Cat, who wore navy blue sweatpants and a white crewneck.

Im cosplaying as a slightly less intimidating version of you, why the hell would I want to change?

***

Okay, congrats! That was really smooth!, Alec applauded when the music stopped. It was already seven pm, and everyone was both tired and hungry.

Im proud of you, good job!, Cat agreed, looking at Alec, Do you feel comfortable with calling it quits?

Yeah, I think you guys are as good as it gets. Now have fun, rest up and enjoy today and tomorrow before competition on Sunday- dont work out meanwhile, you dont want to overdo it before the competition and risk an injury.

We did it!, Vicky exclaimed victoriously and threw herself at Tristan.

Theyd be cute together., Cat whispered into Alecs ear, widely smiling as she watched the students hug each other, clearly excited for the competition and proud of their results.

Kinda, yeah., Alec chuckled, grinning before raising his voice, Anyways, the pizza is going to be here any minute- I ordered half an hour ago, so get changed! Good timing, everyone!

Cheering, everyone rushed to the changerooms to finally exchange their tights for sweats.

***

Canvas or leather flats?, Maddie asked immediately as Alec walked back into the room after having excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Canvas, a hundred percent., he laughed, not even surprised by the question, Who disagrees?

Thank God no one, otherwise Id have to kick people off the team., Cat laughed, making sure he had enough space on the air mattress.

You guys had me worried for your sanity., Alec grinned, Anyways, what other hot topics did I miss?

Low or high buns was also passionately debated., Vicky said.

And what did you guys pick?, Alec asked, knowing most of the girls wore ponytails to class, anyways.

High buns! So pretty, but such a pain in the ass., Cat replied immediately, I remember those sock buns from the early tens, they were haunting every dance comp.

Oh yeah, and the aggressive overuse of glitter hairspray., Alec laughed, remembering his own competition days, That was a wild era.

Alright, so the obvious next question is: Competition or show?, Kenneth asked, looking around the room.

Comp!, Maddie exclaimed, You get to win, whats better than that?

Thats my girl!, Cat laughed, high-fiving her student.

I actually prefer shows, you truly get to express yourself there and dont have to focus on winning. I mean, its supposed to be about dancing itself for me., Vicky contradicted, earning agreeing nods from Alec- that was exactly his point of view, especially as he hated the pressure of competing.

Okay, lets get to something juicy- most epic dance fail?, Maddie grinned before biting into the piece of pizza that had already gone cold in her hand, You guys all know mine.

Nothing can compete with that!, Arizona laughed, reaching for another piece of pizza, But mine has to be washing my white leotard with my read Christmas hat, which ended in me being a pink snow-fairy. Thank God so far, my dance-career has been pretty fail-free.

I once did a blindfolded dance at comp, probably twenty years ago., Cat started explaining, And my spacing was really off, so I almost fell off the stage, if one of the judges hadnt caught me.

Okay, thats actually epic., Vicky giggled, Id probably have to go with strawberry underwear under my costume at comp- I clearly have underestimated the illumination of that stage.

God, that must have been so uncomfortable., Alec laughed out, I suppose, you didnt realize before the official comp pictures came out?

Worse., Vicky chuckled, A friend told me during the dance. So not only was my ass covered in red strawberries, my face was covered in red nervous splotches, too.

***

Good morning, everyone!, Alec exclaimed loudly, making sure to wake everyone up, I have gotten us some breakfast.

Did you seriously already go to the bakery?, Cat asked, rubbing her eyes- she hadnt even noticed that Alec had gotten up already.

Ive also gotten dressed and stretched., Alec grinned in response, putting the bags with croissants down before handing her a cup of hot coffee-to-go.

This has got to be heaven., she smiled, gratefully taking the cup out of his hands, looking around the room- everyone was still peacefully snuggled up against their blankets.

How are you so motivated?, Maddie groaned, struggling to wake up.

Come on, its a beautiful day., he laughed, opening the windows as the air was really stuffy.

When did you become so awfully positive?, Cat laughed, Did you get any good sleep?

Probably the best sleep Ive had in a long time., Alec chuckled.

Oh, to be you, Alec., she laughed, But thanks for the croissants.

Any time., he replied, watching the yawning, sweaty mess in front of him transform back into the students he had learned to love in such short time.